Hypertension - advice from Dr. Ciszak
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is dangerous because it damages your kidneys, heart, eyes and brain. It does this damage silently and without warning. That is why it is important to make sure that your blood pressure is in the normal range - under 130/85.
Drugs are very important in the treatment of hypertension. They are not used to make you feel better (they don’t) but to protect you from strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure and blindness. But taking medications is not the only thing that you can do to control your blood pressure. You should also be aware of what factors in your life affect your blood pressure.
Excess weight
This is, by far, the most common cause of raised blood pressure. The more excess weight you have the harder your heart has to pump to push blood through your body. Many people who are overweight and have high blood pressure may be able to reduce or eliminate their drugs if they lose weight. Warning: you must lose the weight FIRST and never stop your medication without your doctor’s advice.
Alcohol
Drinking more than 1 standard drink per day will raise your blood pressure. If you drink more, you will need more medication to control your blood pressure. It is healthier, easier and cheaper to reduce your alcohol intake.
Salt
Salt is a real villain when it comes to blood pressure. Most of our prepared food is heavily oversalted and greatly exceeds our physiological requirements. A young and healthy body can easily excrete the excess salt but, if you are older, it puts a strain on the heart and kidneys. Try not to use salt at all. In restaurants, request that your food have “no added salt”. Even McDonalds will sell you salt-free fries if you ask for them. If you absolutely cannot live without the salty taste, try No-Salt, a product you can buy in all supermarkets. It contains potassium chloride which does not raise blood pressure. Caution: use No-Salt sparingly if you take a blood pressure medication that belongs to a class known as ACE inhibitors.
Stress
Being under a mental pressure causes an increased production of “stress hormones” adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are meant to prepare the body for a fight-or-flight response but this is beneficial only in the short term. In chronic stress, these hormones can cause some damage and definitely elevate blood pressure. If you are aware of being under a continuing mental stress, try to identify the causes and rearrange your life to minimize them. It may be simpler than you think. Also, take frequent short breaks when you can sit back, close your eyes and breathe deeply, even for just one minute.
Sleep
Chronic poor quality sleep or lack of sleep can cause a sustained increase in blood pressure. Do you have sleep apnea? If so, treating it will improve your blood pressure.
Exercise
Any amount of aerobic exercise is beneficial for blood pressure. Even just walking 30 minutes per day will have a noticeable effect. The more you are able to do, the better. But be careful about weight lifting - extreme straining does cause sharp peaks in blood pressure.
Coffee
Contrary to myths, coffee has NO effect on blood pressure.
Garlic
No study has shown that fresh garlic or garlic pills lower blood pressure. However, if you believe in it, there is no harm in taking it.
Herbal remedies
These are generally ineffective and may be unsafe, as you cannot be sure of what is contained in them.
If you would like to know more about hypertension, please visit the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation website.
Dr. Wojtek Ciszak 2010